Most of us have had a secret at some time in life, whether it concerns oneself or another person.

Secrets can be fun but can also be detrimental.

Secrets carried into adulthood can consume, cripple and destroy. Often I talk to those whom have carried a secret for years. In adulthood, it becomes an unbearable sorrow.

We fool ourselves that we are unlovable due to our secret and therefore could only be rejected and beyond forgiveness.

Why is this so? When we keep secrets to ourselves, we are the only one who is processing the event. Therefore we imagine and fantasize about potential outcomes, that often are negative. Our negative thought patterns then lead to fear. Fear is a false imagination for our future. We picture rejection, ridicule and false endings. These become our truth. We therefore continue to resist sharing our secret and shut a part of our life away from others.

The sharing of our thoughts and secrets with another, bring another perspective and often a perspective that we have not considered. God is not a God of fear or doom but of grace and a future. Rarely is our secret so shocking that it is beyond forgiveness and redemption.

A life shared with others is humbling but safe. A life shared with others dissolves our fears and keeps us connected to the God of life. (1 John 1;7)